Exemplary embodiments relate generally to communications and, more particularly, to methods, devices, and computer program products for providing ambient noise sensitive alerting.
Portable communications devices such as pagers, cellular phones, laptop computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs), may be used in any of a wide variety of indoor and outdoor environments. One important capability of a portable communications device is to notify the user as to the presence of an incoming call or message. Such notification is often performed using an audible alert. Users may adjust the volume of the audible alert, or disable the alert altogether, by navigating through a sequence of nested menus to select appropriate options. Additionally, some portable communications devices permit selection of a desired melody or ring tone from a menu of predetermined alerts, as well as downloading one or more audio files for use as an audible alert.
The volume of audible alert required to engage the user's attention varies in accordance with the user's current environment and, in particular, with the current ambient noise level. A given audible alert volume may seem annoyingly loud in a quiet meeting room, yet remain virtually inaudible to the user on the street or in a train. At the same time, many users do not wish to endure the inconvenience of repeatedly navigating through nested menus to adjust the audible alert every time the user enters a new environment. These users may opt for a compromise audible alert setting that works in many locations frequented by the user, but is still inappropriately loud or soft for other locations. Accordingly, what is needed is a mechanism by which the volume of an audible alert is automatically adjusted in accordance with ambient noise.